The Admissions Committee of the UNMC College of Medicine is now in the process of selecting — from more than 2,000 applicants — the individuals who will be offered admission to the college’s entering class in 2024. This is a Herculean task that committee members volunteer their time to perform each year. On behalf of the entire college to each of you: Thank you!
One of the college’s critical missions for the state of Nebraska is to provide its future physician workforce. We do this better than most of our peer medical schools. Over 50% of the state’s currently practicing physicians graduated from UNMC and/or completed all or part their graduate medical education with us. Per recent data from the AAMC looking at physicians who have been in practice for 10-15 years, UNMC ranks in the 83rd percentile of its graduates practicing in the state.
It is well recognized that there are major physician shortages in rural areas of most states, and Nebraska is no different. Nevertheless, the same AAMC survey revealed that UNMC is well above the 90th percentile in the number of graduates practicing in rural areas, as well as graduates in primary care. It is not coincidental that the same respondents placed UNMC above the 90th percentile in the quality of its clerkship experiences in both family medicine and internal medicine. Thank you to all the full-time and volunteer faculty, as well as staff, in the college who work so hard every day to provide great clinical training experiences for our students. It obviously has an impact.
On a different topic, I would like to congratulate and welcome Joann Sweasy, PhD, following her selection as the next director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. We all look forward to Dr. Sweasy bringing her vision and experience as a highly successful cancer investigator and the cancer center director to the University of Arizona to Omaha. The entire UNMC College of Medicine enthusiastically anticipates a close partnership with her in advancing cancer programs at UNMC.
At the same time, we celebrate and thank Ken Cowan, MD, PhD, for his leadership, collaboration and friendship over the four decades in which he has served as cancer director. The growth of the cancer center under his leadership has been phenomenal and allowed the institution to recruit someone of Dr. Sweasy’s talent and experience to succeed him.
Ken, thanks for everything and we wish you great success with the next stage of your personal and professional life.